We had quite the weekend in Overland Park, Kansas exploring the city for a couple's getaway. We tried some amazing food, saw their beautiful botanical gardens, and explored a few incredible local businesses.
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
Where We Stayed: Embassy Suites by Hilton Kansas City Overland Park
We started our weekend by checking into the Embassy Suites located in Central Overland Park. This was actually the very first Embassy Suites location in the world and they recently did a complete remodel on the property!
The room's layout was really nice with a sitting/living room area in the front, a hallway with a bathroom, and a bedroom with a door. This made for some excellent sound proofing!
To really kick things off, we went to dinner at McGregor's Butcher & Bistro. The atmosphere was very lovely, and the restaurant had a bluesy, speakeasy type of vibe. You’d never guess how extravagant the inside of the restaurant is just by looking at the exterior. They actually host a live jazz musician every Friday from 7-10PM, which was a nice surprise.
We ordered the calamari & crab cakes, salmon & filet w/scallops, and their shareable sides of mac n cheese & brussel sprouts. The food was fantastic and we were so full. But, they tempted us with desserts and we knew we had to try the chocolate cake (and we're so glad we did). After dinner, it was back to the hotel to get some rest!
Being a big fan of brunch, we started the day with a stop at Another Broken Egg, a southern-inspired breakfast spot. The best part of brunch is the cocktails (of course) and they had a great menu for drinks outside of traditional options like bloody marys and mimosas.
We ordered the Traditional Day Starter which was their take on a screwdriver, and an Abe Cyclone which is made with spiced rum, vodka, and housemade punch. For our meals we ordered the Cinnamon Roll French Toast and the Country Power Bowl, and it was exactly the fuel we needed to take on the day.
After stuffing ourselves silly, we made our way up to Family Tree Nursery to walk around and check out their selection. I really loved this nursery. They had so many different plants and some I haven't seen anywhere before! It was definitely the largest selection of plants I've ever seen, which made it extra hard to leave without picking up a new plant.
Next on the agenda was BRKTHROUGH! There were over 40 rooms with 2-5 minute games that challenge you mentally, physically, and skill wise. This concept was so fun and I hope we eventually get something like it in Oklahoma as well.
BRKTHROUGH is located right next to Scheels in Corbin Park. For $30 a person per 2-hour session, you can challenge yourself and others as you race the clock to score points. Plus, they even have a self service bar with beers and cocktails on draft!
After we worked off breakfast, it was time for some Kansas City-style BBQ! We pulled in to the parking lot at Jack Stack Barbecue and could already smell the smoked meats and sweet sauce met us in the parking lot and definitely had us excited.
We started our meal with the smoked jalapeño skillet cornbread, and then dug straight into the BBQ. We both ordered the Pick Two Kansas City Combo: one with burnt ends and pulled pork and one with beef brisket and pork spare ribs. For sides, we shared some hickory pit beans and the cheesy corn bake.
I am a bubbles girl, so when we found out there was a local vineyard that served three different types of champagne I was eager to check it out. Aubrey Vineyards is located in South Overland Park and grows their grapes Napa-style. One of their champagnes had a distinct wedding cake flavor: sweet, rich, and definitely unique. It was a bit too sugary to sip on all night, but absolutely worth trying for the experience!
After our wine tasting, we went back to the hotel to rest up for the rest of the evening. We got tickets to see 'Rumors' at the New Theatre & Restaurant, the largest and most successful dinner theatre in the country. The dinner, drinks and live show made for such a fun evening. I grew up going to these kinds of things, so it was very nostalgic experience for me.
Dinner was buffet-style and featured sliced steak, chicken, mashed potatoes, veggie medley and more. To top it all off, the dessert was amazing. I got the toffee butter cake — oooeee so good!
To end our weekend in Overland Park, we woke up and made our way to the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. It was a bit of a chilly morning, so we stopped and grabbed coffee at Café Celeste at the Longhouse Visitor's Center and proceeded to walk the grounds taking in all the sights.
They have the cutest train yard setup that reminds me of Mr. Rogers, and it even had a castle! With it being spring, there was so many beautiful new blooms and I really loved how peaceful it was.
To end our weekend, we stopped by Louie's Wine Dive for brunch. Naturally, I ordered a mimosa. It was brunch, after all! We ordered the Louie's Double Burger with parmesan truffle fries and the Chicken + Waffles. If you get the Chicken + Waffles, I highly recommend ordering a side of their Tobacco Onions.
This place had such a fun vibe, with wine bottle décor everywhere, delicious food, and an incredibly friendly waiter who made the experience even better.
All in all, our weekend in Overland Park was successful and an adventure that I would be sure to go on again.
